What Karl Meyer Gruppe does

Karl Meyer Gruppe is a German environmental services group headquartered in Wischhafen, Lower Saxony, providing waste disposal and recycling, transport and logistics, maritime shipping, energy systems, industrial services, automotive retail, and accredited training across North and Northwest Germany. Its core offerings span the waste lifecycle \u2014 collection, container services (MGB 60 to 4,500 litres), compaction equipment, material recovery, and raw material trading \u2014 delivered under its certified Entsorgungsfachbetrieb (authorised waste management facility) status to commercial, industrial, and private customers. The diversified portfolio also includes eleven company-owned coastal vessels (up to 3,850-tonne capacity) transporting bulk cargo in the North and Baltic Seas, the sale and maintenance of photovoltaic systems, combined heat and power (Blockheizkraftwerke) units, and energy storage between Elbe and Weser, an in-house VW/Audi-partner Autohaus, and the Karl Meyer Akademie for certified waste-handling and logistics training. The karl-meyer24.de platform supports self-serve online ordering of containers, garden bins, and the REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts consumer product line.

The revenue model is a mix of recurring waste-management and recycling contracts (subscription-style municipal tender work with dual system operators across ten regions), transaction-fee transport logistics (1,000+ trucks post-merger) and maritime transport (eleven ships), hardware sales (energy systems, automotive dealership, wood briquettes), and professional services (industrial maintenance, academy training). Go-to-market is sales-led with direct field engagement, supplemented by an e-commerce self-serve channel for private and SMB customers.

Ownership history: founded in 1947 as a small Fuhrbetrieb and family-held for nearly 80 years, Karl Meyer AG was acquired in full by Bremen-based family-owned environmental services company Nehlsen AG, effective 1 January 2025, due to the absence of family-internal succession. The combined Nehlsen/Karl Meyer group now operates more than 80 locations with approximately 3,800 employees, positioning it as one of the larger regional circular-economy platforms in Germany, with stated ambitions in expanded port/island/ship waste services and broader sea freight transport.

Name

Karl Meyer Gruppe

Legal name

Karl Meyer GmbH

Website

https://karl-meyer.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Karl Meyer Gruppe is a German environmental services provider headquartered in Wischhafen, offering waste disposal and recycling, road and maritime logistics, energy systems, industrial services, automotive retail, and accredited training to commercial, industrial, and private customers across North and Northwest Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Waste Management Services

akta.pro primary industry

Source-Separated Organics (SSO) Collection & Hauling (Food/Yard) (BPALAEAA)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Recycling services
• Maritime cargo transport
• Container logistics
• Renewable energy systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Wischhafen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Entsorgung & Recycling: Core business providing waste disposal and recycling services to commercial and private customers. Services include waste collection, container services, and material recovery. The company is a certified waste management facility (Entsorgungsfachbetrieb) and handles various waste streams including packaging, municipal solid waste, and industrial waste. Also includes raw material trading (Rohstoffhandel) from recovered materials.
2. Transport & Logistik: Truck-based transport and logistics services, moving waste and materials across northern Germany. Combined fleet of over 1,000 trucks with the merged Nehlsen entity.
3. Schifffahrt (Maritime Transport): Coastal shipping services transporting bulk goods (seeds, animal feed, general cargo) in the North and Baltic Seas using a fleet of eleven company-owned ships with capacities up to 3,850 tonnes per vessel.
4. Energiesysteme (Energy Systems): Sale, installation, and maintenance of photovoltaic systems, combined heat and power units, and energy storage solutions to commercial and residential customers between Elbe and Weser.
5. Autohaus (Automotive Dealership): Automotive dealership operating as partner of Volkswagen, VW Commercial Vehicles, and Audi Service in Wischhafen, providing sales, workshop, and after-sales services.
6. Industriedienstleistungen (Industrial Services): Industrial services provided to industrial facilities near the company's headquarters in Wischhafen, including maintenance and technical services.
7. Akademie (Training & Education): In-house academy providing seminars, continuing education, and training programmes in waste management, hazardous materials handling, and logistics according to legal requirements.
8. REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts: Sale of wood briquettes made from untreated recycled wood chips, sold in various quantities (single packet, half pallet, full pallet, unpackaged in Pfandbox). A social partnership product created in cooperation with DRK and Schwinge Werkstätten.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Karl Meyer Gruppe is an environmental and disposal services provider operating in northern Germany. It offers waste collection, recycling, and raw material trading; container-based transport and logistics; maritime bulk cargo shipping with company-owned vessels in the North and Baltic Seas; and sale, installation, and maintenance of photovoltaic, combined heat and power, and energy storage systems. It also runs an automotive dealership (Volkswagen/VW Commercial/Audi Service partner) and an in-house training academy.

Product overview

Karl Meyer Gruppe is a diversified environmental and disposal services company offering waste management, recycling, transport/logistics, maritime shipping, energy systems, automotive services, and professional training. The portfolio is organized around a unified service model with core divisions in Entsorgung/Recycling, Transport & Logistik, Schifffahrt, Energiesysteme, and the Karl Meyer Autohaus. Supporting services include the Karl Meyer Akademie for professional training and REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts as a consumer product derived from recycling operations. The company operates across North Germany with approximately 800 employees and serves commercial, industrial, and private customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts: A wood briquet product made from untreated recycled wood chips, sold as a sustainable heating product in collaboration with the DRK and Schwinge Werkstätten.

Products and services

• Entsorgung/Recycling Waste collection, recycling, and raw material trading services for commercial enterprises and private households across northern Germany; operates as a certified Entsorgungsfachbetrieb.
• Transport und Logistik Container service and road transport/logistics solutions for waste and bulk materials, with a combined fleet of more than 1,000 trucks post-merger with Nehlsen.
• Schifffahrt (Maritime Shipping) Maritime shipping services transporting bulk cargo such as seeds, animal feed, and general cargo in the North and Baltic Seas using eleven company-owned ships with individual cargo capacities up to 3,850 tonnes.
• Energiesysteme (Energy Systems) Sale, installation, and maintenance of Blockheizkraftwerke (combined heat and power plants), photovoltaic systems, and energy storage solutions for commercial and residential customers.
• Karl Meyer Autohaus Automotive dealership and workshop operating as authorised partner of Volkswagen, VW Nutzfahrzeuge (commercial vehicles), and Audi Service, providing vehicle sales, servicing, and spare parts in the Wischhafen/Stade region.
• Karl Meyer Akademie Training academy offering seminars, continuing education, and practical training programmes in waste management, hazardous materials handling, and logistics in line with German legal requirements.
• REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts Wood briquettes made from untreated recycled wood chips, sold in single packets, half pallets, full pallets, and unpackaged in Pfandbox units as a heating product.
• Rohstoffhandel (Raw Material Trading) Trading of secondary raw materials recovered from recycling operations, turning waste into reusable resources.
• Industriedienstleistungen (Industrial Services) Industrial maintenance and technical services for industrial facilities located around the company's headquarters in Wischhafen.
• Karl Meyer 24 Online Ordering Online self-service portal (karl-meyer24.de) enabling customers to order disposal containers, garden bins, and REGIO-FLAMM wood briquettes online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won collection contracts in ten regions for lightweight packaging (LVP) and old glass (Altglas) through dual system tenders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nehlsen AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Effective January 1, 2025, Nehlsen AG acquired all shares of Karl Meyer AG, merging the two family-owned companies. Both bring deep regional presence and broad service portfolios. The combination creates a stronger circular economy offering with a combined workforce of approximately 3,800 employees, a fleet exceeding 1,000 trucks, and eleven ships across more than 80 locations. The merged entity aims to strengthen its position in the trade, commerce, and industrial sector, expand port/island/ship waste services, and leverage the port-adjacent infrastructure of all locations for expanded sea freight transport services.
• DRK (German Red Cross) and Schwinge WerkstättenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarl Meyer Gruppe partnered with the DRK (German Red Cross) and Schwinge Werkstätten (a sheltered workshop) to produce and distribute REGIO-FLAMM Holzbriketts. The product is made from wood chips sourced from untreated recycled wood, creating a social partnership that supports charitable causes while delivering an environmentally friendly heating product.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KNETTENBRECH + GURDULIC Wertstoff- und Entsorgungs GmbH: Mid-sized German waste management and recycling company serving commercial and industrial customers with collection, sorting and disposal services. Directly comparable regional peer operating a similar disposal/logistics model, particularly in northern and eastern Germany.
• Nehlsen AG: Bremerhaven/Bremen-based family-owned environmental services company that acquired Karl Meyer AG in January 2025. Operates the same waste management, recycling and logistics services across northwest Germany and is now the parent/operating partner of Karl Meyer Gruppe, making it the single most directly comparable peer.

Emerging players

• PreZero (Schwarz Group): Environmental services arm of the Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland parent), rapidly scaling in German and European waste management, sorting and recycling. Increasingly bidding into dual-system and commercial waste contracts that today sit with players like Karl Meyer.

Broad incumbents

• REMONDIS SE & Co. KG: One of the world's largest privately held recycling, waste management and water services companies, headquartered in Germany. Competes head-to-head with Karl Meyer/Nehlsen across commercial waste, dual-system collections and raw material trading, but at national and international scale.
• ALBA Group (ALBA Europe Holdings plc & Scholz Recycling GmbH): German-headquartered recycling, waste management and raw materials group operating across Europe and Asia. Directly comparable on commercial waste, packaging recycling (dual systems) and secondary raw materials trading, with broader geographic reach than Karl Meyer.
• Veolia Deutschland (Veolia Umweltservice): German arm of Veolia, providing commercial and municipal waste collection, recycling and street cleaning. Operates as a broad incumbent with a national network that overlaps Karl Meyer's commercial and industrial customer base.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Deutschland GmbH: German subsidiary of SUEZ, providing commercial and municipal waste collection, recycling and resource recovery. Competes with Karl Meyer for commercial and dual-system contracts as a broad European incumbent.

Regional players

• Stork Umweltdienste GmbH: Northern German provider of container services, waste disposal, recycling and industrial services to commercial and private customers. Closely comparable on service mix (container logistics, recycling, industrial services) and regional positioning in northwest Germany.
• Becker Umweltdienste GmbH: Northern German environmental services provider offering commercial waste collection, recycling and hazardous waste handling. Closely comparable regional peer in terms of service portfolio and customer mix, though smaller in fleet and geographic scope than Karl Meyer.
• AWISTA GmbH (Düsseldorf): Municipal waste management company serving the Düsseldorf region with collection, recycling and street cleaning services. Comparable regional player with similar municipal-tender-driven revenue model, though geographically distinct from Karl Meyer's northern Germany focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Karl Meyer Gruppe